Pa. woman gets probation over fraudulent diploma

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania woman has been sentenced to seven years' probation for using a phony diploma to get counseling jobs.

The Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era reports (http://bit.ly/XyVgRh) a judge sentenced 37-year-old Jalon Faherty on Monday on two felony counts of fraud. Lancaster County Judge David Ashworth told her: "You can't just go out and buy a diploma."

Prosecutors say Faherty paid England-based Canterbury University for a college diploma, with master's degree certifications, but that it turns out no such school exists. Authorities say she used the fraudulent credentials to bolster her resume, working for TeamCare Behavioral Health of Lancaster and Pennsylvania Counseling Services Inc. in Lebanon from 2007 to 2009.

A weeping Faherty, who pleaded guilty in November, apologized in court. She's paid back more than $80,000 to her employers.